The invention relates to an interior trim panel made of plastic for a motor vehicle, which has a flat, plate- or shell-like shape and, in the installed state, is aligned at least essentially horizontally in the vehicle interior, a free space permitting the trim panel to move adjoining the trim panel on one side.
This application claims the priority of German patent application number 196 07 428.2-21, filed on Feb. 28, 1996 the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Interior trim panels made of plastic, in particular in the form of driver-side and passenger-side foot-well covers on a cockpit underside, are known. These plastic trim panels are aligned and fastened approximately horizontally to the underside of the cockpit and under severe impact loads on the motor vehicle are subject to load peaks which may lead to the trim panel breaking or tearing, as a result of which significant risks of injury to the legs or knees of a passenger may arise.
An object of the invention is to provide an interior trim panel of the type mentioned above which does not give rise to any risk of injury for vehicle occupants during impact loads on the motor vehicle.
This object is achieved according to preferred embodiments of the invention in that the plate- or shell-like shape of the trim panel is provided with a convex structure configured such that, in the event of a horizontal compressive load running essentially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the trim panel undergoes a controlled elastic and/or plastic deformation in the direction of the adjoining free space. By means of the solution according to the invention, load peaks are avoided since a controlled deviation of the trim panel is permitted by the convex structure at an early stage when an impact load occurs. The invention thus proceeds from the recognition that the breakage or tearing of the known trim panels can actually be attributed to such load peaks. With the solution according to the invention, load peaks are avoided primarily in the event of impact loads which occur in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, i.e. in the event of a frontal impact.
In a refinement of the invention, the convex structure is configured such that the trim panel also undergoes a controlled deformation in the direction of the free space in the event of horizontal compressive loads arising transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, the convex structure is also suitable for absorbing side-impact loads without the trim panel tearing or breaking. When the trim panel is used as a foot-well cover, the free space is advantageously the foot-well itself.
In a further refinement of the invention, the trim panel is designed at least in part as a lattice matrix. The trim panel is injection-molded in the form of a plastic grid or lattice, the lattice matrix being configured in accordance with the plate- or shell-like form.
In a further refinement of the invention, a plastic having an impact strength which remains constant over a wide temperature range, in particular a motor-vehicle bumper material, is provided. This plastic is particularly suitable for the configuration of the trim panel as a foot-well cover.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.